Metro News & Reviews

Metro.net 2.0: Metro redesigns web site

It’s been in the works for months and Metro will launch its redesigned web site later today. Call it Metro.net 2.0 — the agency’s all-out effort to employ the latest online tools to help you, the taxpayer, track your transportation investments in L.A. County.

To visit the new site, click here. That’s a screen grab above from the new site.

The agency’s goal is to make the site a 24/7 resource on all things Metro. Agency staff have rebuilt the site from the ground up. Look for major upgrades in navigation, functionality and content.

One of the first new items you’ll notice is the site’s new look and feel and greatly improved menus. There is now a set of top and side menus to quickly link you to key transportation topics. The previous version of the site was sometimes cryptic in terms of organization.

And get this, The Source now appears on the homepage! So, from a news perspective, the redesign is a truly a “coming of age” in keeping visitors up-to-date on the latest transportation news and views.

But will all the new changes be a hit with customers? Metro wants to hear back from you — here’s a link to a survey you can take about the new website.

The Source thinks the new site is greatly improved but we also have a couple of suggestions:

1. Board agendas should not be under the “about us” tab, as they are on the current website. It’s just not intuitive. Put a tab on the home page that says “Metro Board Agendas.” After all, the Board has the final say on most important matters involving the agency.

2. Way too many key documents that the agency puts on its website are in the pdf format that requires website visitors to either open the document using another software program or to first download the document. Having the download option is great, but a basic map of the new Eastside Gold Line Extension shouldn’t require another program to open it with.

The tech folks at Metro aren’t done — there are a slew of other improvements in the works including a deeper integration of Google maps, interactive maps and making the site easily accesible via smart phones.